Lemon Cake (No Baking Powder, No Baking Soda)
A summer party or a picnic is incomplete without some cake. Agree? What is better than a perfect spongy, lemony, sweet, and refreshing lemon cake? This Lemon Cake without Leavening Agent, without any baking powder or baking soda, is very light, can be assembled within 15 minutes, and is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
One of our family favorites now. I actually never made a lemon cake earlier. I thought the tangy lemon taste would not be liked by my family. But I was surprised. My family wants more of this Lemon Cake.
My son a hardcore chocolate cake lover like me now loves this lemon cake. And he is correct, the cake leaves your palate with a lovely lemony, sweet, and refreshing taste. The tangy and the sweet combination is just awesome and you keep craving for more. You need to stop yourself from eating too much.
So surprised how a cake is made without a leavening agent and how it looks so soft and moist. Read on further to understand better.
The picture speaks for itself and believe me the cake is really soft and all that color is natural. The lemon and the eggs work their magic. I have not added a drop of any artificial color.
Eggs
The key ingredient for the rise of this Lemon cake without Leavening Agent is egg and there is no replacement of the same in this recipe. Eggs have a great ability to leaven or puff up foods when air is beaten to them. When you are beating eggs with a whisker or an electric mixer you are simply incorporating air into the mixture.
When you beat an egg in any mixture you would see that increases in volume. Egg whites are specially used for this purpose and egg whites expand up to 8 times their volume. Hence you can see that Soufflé, meringues all use egg whites, especially for this purpose. There is some science that when air is incorporated into the protein molecules it unwinds and stretches.
Tips for Beating Eggs
- If you are storing your eggs in the fridge it is always advisable to get them at room temperature for baking. They create the best volume and stability.
- Secondly for any recipe if you are just beating egg whites, make sure the vessel is clean and does not have any traces of egg yolk or fat at all.
The beating of the Butter & Sugar
Though this is the first step, I am adding it second here as many have asked me for the replacement for egg in this recipe which sadly is none. So I have mentioned the key ingredient egg in the first place.
So the first step of the recipe is beating the butter and the sugar. It has to be beaten thoroughly to almost a ribbon stage or when the mixture changes color. This will take around 3-4 minutes but is well worth the effort.
Always use room-temperature softened butter when you want to cream the butter and sugar together. The butter has to be softened but not melted. There is a difference. You will not get a creamy texture batter with melted butter and you will not able to even cream it. So keep that in mind.
Recipe process of this Lemon Cake
Next, you are adding the eggs one at a time and beat each of them slowly until well incorporated. After each addition, you would see the eggs adding some volume to the mixture and the mixture getting creamier.
Now we are adding the flour, finely grated lemon zest, and vanilla essence. One can skip the vanilla essence if required but at times I can smell the egg and hence I love to add it to mask the smell.
One can skip the vanilla essence if at all. The real flavor comes from Lemon Zest, the outer rind of a lemon. Be sure to take only the yellow part. Do not use the white skin or it will go bitter.
Do not Overmix
When one adds the dry ingredient to the wet do not overmix. What I mean by Overmixing is:
Well, many think the more you beat the cake batter the fluffier it is. That is not correct. The beating is done before mixing the wet and the dry. Once both are mixed they react and the leavening agents or in our case the mechanical raising agent here egg starts to work.
So it is best to just mix it until the dry ingredient is mixed into the wet and then put it in the oven as soon as to not release the air and let it further expand during baking. Of course, every recipe differs, and it depends.
Always make sure you are running the spatula up to the bottom. At times the dry flour remains and then it will not be an even mix.
I have shared this for the cookout week 2018, an annual event where bloggers share summer recipes. This Lemon Cake without Leavening Agent is tangy, light, and airy and hence a perfect treat for summers.
This recipe is adapted from here, with my changes. This cake is very simple and is without any baking powder or baking soda and with just a few ingredients. The original recipe calls for Self-raising flour which has baking powder and salt added to it. I simply used All-purpose flour / Maida without any leavening agent.
Lemon Drizzle
I have also drizzled this cake, with a lemon drizzle. That is a syrup made using lemon and sugar. This cake stays fresh for 4-5 days outside (if cold) or in the fridge. I have not frozen this cake, but you definitely can. Just cut into individual portions, and freeze. Try this cake and I am sure you are going to make this again and again.
Few more cake recipes on my blog :
- Eggless Chocolate Cooker Cake (Whole Wheat and Without Cocoa Powder)
- Eggless Lemon Drizzle Cake (Using Pressure Cooker and Induction Stove Top)
- Whole Wheat Classic Christmas Cake
- Whole Wheat Carrot Cake|Bread
- Egg-Less, Sugar-Less, Butter-Less Dates & Walnut Cake
- Zucchini chocolate Whole Wheat Bread
- Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Banana Bread
- Low Carb Chocolate Coconut Flour cake
- Orange Yeast Bundt Cake
- Vegan No Bake Avocado Cheese Cake
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Eggless Whole Wheat Lemon Tutti Frutti Cake
- Easy Eggless Mango Cake
- Gluten-Free & Vegan Ragi Banana Cake (Processed Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free)
Baking in Air-fryer
I have baked this cake in an air fryer too. I will post the time and pics soon.
Lemon Cake (No Baking Powder, No Baking Soda)
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Ingredients
For the Lemon Sponge
- 225 gms Softened Unsalted Butter
- 4 eggs
- 225 gms Demerara sugar or Granulated Sugar or Castor sugar
- 225 gms All purpose Flour/Maida
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon- (Only the yellow part)
- 1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract
For the Lemon Drizzle
- Juice of 1.5 lemons
- 85 gm of Granulated Sugar (or Castor sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C (fan assisted)/180 C normal.
- Prepare a loaf tin (8 x 2.1 inch), by greasing it or lining it with grease proof paper.
- Sift the flour in a bowl.225 gms All purpose Flour/Maida
- Cut the butter into cubes or small pieces225 gms Softened Unsalted Butter
- With the help of your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes
- Add the sugar.225 gms Demerara sugar or Granulated Sugar or Castor sugar
- If your sugar is granulated and not in a powdered form, just roughly process it for a few seconds in a blender to break it down
- Now beat together softened Unsalted Butter and sugar until pale and creamy (2-3 mins).
- Add eggs one at a time. Slowly beating after each addition.4 eggs
- The mixture might appear curdled, but it is fine
- Add in the flour, finely grated lemon zest, Vanilla Extract and mix until combined.225 gms All purpose Flour/Maida, Finely grated zest of 1 lemon-, 1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract
- Scrape off the side and the bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix.
- Add the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and level with the back of the spoon.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking prepare a mix of lemon juice and sugar.
- In a small bowl add in the sugar and lemon juice.Juice of 1.5 lemons, 85 gm of Granulated Sugar
- Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and keep it on a wire rack.
- Immediately poke holes with a toothpick or a skewer.
- Drizzle the mixture of lemon juice and sugar, while the cake is still hot.
- The lemon juice will be soaked up.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- Once Cooled, dust it with some icing sugar. (Optional)
- Cut and Serve.
Notes
- Baking time varies depending on your oven and loaf size.
- Do keep a close watch on the cake after 40 minutes.
- The cake can be prepared in a loaf tin or any other shaped tin. Please note the baking time varies.
- The lemon drizzle has more lemon. If you prefer less lemon taste, reduce the quantity of lemon.
Update
I have not changed the recipe at all. I am just adding some descriptive content as to why eggs are required, how to cream butter and sugar and what is meant by overmixing etc.
Today 27th August 2024, I am updating the pics again. Not changing the recipe.
Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate the recipe. Share your pics and tag us.
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Oh my! I'm a huge fan of lemon cake and this is one for the books! My taste buds are jumping for joy just looking at this post 😉
Lemon cake is the best and a favorite over at our house! Yum!!
Lemon is one of my favorite summertime flavors.
Absolutely beautiful color and texture, we are big lemon fans here, definitely have to try this!
I love lemon in cakes. It's so bright and delicious. This cake looks super moist!
My lemon breads always fail in taste .am definitely gonna try this one cming weekend.this looks awesome
Sure do try and send me the pic and tag me on instagram or facebook or twitter. Rgds, Renu
Lemon cake is one of my favorites and this looks absolutely delicious with a perfect texture
The lemon cake looks so soft and spongy. It must be tasting divine.
I am drooling over your cake. It looks super moist and I loved the texture of the cake. I never made a cake without baking soda or powder. This is a new recipe for me. Thanks for sharing.
Renu,
This lemon scented ,moist cake must be such a treat. Sp jealous of those who got to eat it. I am drooling here 🙂
What a wonderful bake! A recipe without baking powder and soda is a sure keeper. I am definitely trying this.
Always wanted to try a cake without baking powder and soda. I will surely try this recipe soon. Sounds so moist and delicious.
How soft those slices looks, cant believe that this cake doesnt have both baking powder and baking soda. Absolutely delicious. Wish i have few slices with a cup of coffee for my snacks.
This cake looks so soft and yummy. Baking without baking powder and soda, thats a good thing.
This is such a moist n delicious cake. Love it
The lemon cake looks so yummy... Definitely going to try this ☺ Great share!!!
Renu cake looks soft and moist. I never knew cake can be prepared without without baking powder and soda. I am sure it tastes heavenly...
I'm drooling over the lemon cake....without baking powder and baking soda sounds interesting ...yet the cake looks super soft and moist...Lovely share!!
Renu, cake looks moist and soft. Never knew can can be baked without baking powder and soda. Lovely share....
Awesome bake Renu ! The cake looks soft and moist !
This is actually a great baking cake Renu without using baking powder and baking soda. Loved it.
Lemon cake and summer parties are synonymous, fresh and light lemon cake surely a crowd pleaser.
Lemon cake looks too good. Lovely recipe. Will try an egg less version ... Thanks for sharing
Citrus flavored cakes are my favorites and especially the lemon cake, I love the balance of sweet and sour in it. Looks really soft and delicious.
Lemon cake is in my baking list for a long time... this cake looks perfect and delicious... beautiful color and texture
I love the flavour of lemons in my bakes. This poke cake must be blasting with lemon flavour
love love love the texture of the cake. I have some lemons this week. must give this a try.
Cake without baking powder or baking soda has a lovely crumb.Fabulous recipe Renu.
I do love good lemon drizzle cake and yours look absolutely delicious Renu. It's so good to know that you can achieve such a lovely raise without any raising agents. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing with #Baking Crumbs 🙂
You mentioned that "The rise in this cake comes from beating the eggs properly", but don't explain what you mean by beating eggs properly. So, what do you mean? I'm stuck out at a house without transportation for another week and want to make bread, but discovered I don't have baking powder baking soda or yeast lol. But i do have eggs and almond flour.
PLEASE explain what you mean, and I'll get started right away. 🙂
Thanks.
I meant that beat the eggs need to beaten properly , i.e. until they are a pale yellow or change colour, say like for 3-4 minutes. Hope that is clear. Thanks.
I'm a huge fan of lemon cake Renu, in fact when given a choice I'd take a slice of that over chocolate cake! Thankyou for sharing with #BakingCrumbs,
Angela x
Thank you 🙂
Wow cake without baking powder or soda. Sounds great. Cake is perfectly risen and soft. Amazing share.
He Renu the cake looks very nice. . Thanks for the recipe.... I want to try it but was wondering if I can bake it with whole wheat flour and if I do will I need to add baking powder and baking soda. It would be really if you can give me some inputs. Thanks in advance.
Hi Amit. Yes why you can't bake, everyone can. I think it will work with whole wheat flour but the rise would be a bit less I think. Do remember to beat the eggs and sugar well. Let me know how it turned out.
Hi, can i use normal pan? Since i do not have the loaf one
Yes you can, just that the baking time will vary depending on size , depth etc
Love the lemon drizzle cake. These looks so lovely. Texture is awesome Renu
WOW - would never think a cake could rise so well without baking baking powder or baking soda - looks so delicious.
The cake is so spongy and nice even without adding baking powder.. Perfect for tea time.
My goodness! This cake came out WONDERFULLY! It's like a light fluffy pound cake. I followed the directions pretty exactly, I only substituted lemonquat (lemon kumquat hybrid) for the lemon so I used a little more zest since the flavor is milder. I also had my husband continue to beat it vigorously the whole time and add the flour as the very last thing and just stirred that in gently with a wooden spoon. Yum! The lemon juice and sugar glaze was perfect! Just delicious!
Thank you so much for your feedback and trying it out.
This lemon cake looks super soft and with beautiful crumb.. it's like pound cake I make that uses only eggs with no other leavening agents for rise.. Love the citrusy flavour here.
Renu, the cake turned out fabulous and it was all gobbled up even before I could get a pic. The flavor from the lemons felt like summer in my mouth !!!!
Thank You, glad you liked it
Was looking for a cake recipe that did not require baking powder as I was completely out of it. So thrilled to have come across your recipe. The cake turned out moist on the inside with a wonderfully crumbly crust and the most perfect amount of lemon flavor (added lemon juice along with the zest). This is a definite people pleaser that will be added to my baking rotation.
Thank You so so much for your feedback. It really helps me as well as other readers of my blog. Thank You
The best recipe for lemon cake hands down. Tried it and it turned out to be super moist. My family members loved it, it was gobbled down in a day. Definitely #myfavouritecakerecipe .
Thank You for your feedback. Glad that you liked it
Thank you Khushboo for your feedback. Glad your family liked it
Hi ,
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. Can this cake be prepared without eggs? If so can you Please suggest a replacement for eggs?
Hi, Not this one as the rise is from eggs. I am coming up with an egg free lemon version soon. Keep watching this space. Thank You
I made these as cupcakes (180c, 15 mins) and they turned out great! Even without the baking soda they were great, totally bookmarking this recipe 😀
Thank You for your feedback. Yes they are good without the baking soda and baking powder. Glad you liked it.
The recipe is very easy to follow. Thankfully this doesnt require baking powder as I couldn't find any for the past few weeks due to the current lockdown situation. I just did this today and I am so thankful it turned out well even for the 1st try. It's moist, flavorful and the yellow looks gorgeous! A good change to the usual chocolate/vanilla cakes. However I do find it a bit too sweet for my tastebuds. If I were to cut down on the sugar, does the measurement for everything else remains? 🙂 and what do you mean by do not overmix? As this is my 3rd time baking hehe. Thanks!
First thank you so much for your feedback and I am so glad it turned out good for you and you enjoyed it. Yes it turns out flavourful and the beautiful yellow color. Next time if you can please share a pic too, would love to see that :-). You can reduce the sugar to 175-150 grams max but not less. Everything else will remain the same. Also if you are adding the drizzle you can skip that, it cuts the sugar.
By not overmixing I mean is when you add the dry mix i.e. the flour, one should mix only until the flour is well incorporated or mixed thoroughly. Many think if they mix the cake batter more it will more fluffy, but no the dry and the wet should be just mixed or else the cake becomes hard. The rise here is achieved by beating the eggs. Do let me know if you have any more questions. I have more bread recipes without yeast if you are looking for. Thank You
I had only plain flour. No baking powder or soda because of lockdown shortages. This was the only recipe I could find that I had the ingredients for EXCEPT fresh lemon. I used a splash of jif lemon instead. Quick and easy to make. Still in the oven! I've got the drizzle prepared along with skewer and rack. Cake tin size given was wrong but I made half the quantity and put it in a 1lb loaf tin. Full quantity would fit in a 2lb loaf tin which is approximately 8" X 5".
Hi,
Thank you for your feedback. I hope you like the cake. What went wrong with the cake tin size, the size I have mentioned (8*2.1 inch) is exactly what you are saying (8"*5"). Or rather the 3 dimensional size is (8.5in x 4.5in x 2.5in) and I have also included the link to amazon for this reason. Just trying to understand what went wrong with the size.
Hi
Trying to work out this recipe - so you only use egg whites - do you use the yolks at all??
Are you beating the egg (or whites) into the butter and sugar or beating them separately and adding them in once they are doubled in size??
Because you say add the "eggs" one at a time not "add the egg whites" - its just not clear to me sorry.
Im an amateur baker and feeling my way through changing my diet - I have SIBO and cannot have flour or baking soda so trying to incorporate coconut flour into this too.
Hi Andrea, I am using full eggs that is egg yolk and egg whit both. You add one full egg at a time. I am saying one at a time, as it helps to beat it properly and it gets incorporated properly.
I have not added coconut flour in this , you can try, but I do not think it will be that soft then.
Thank You,
Renu
I followed the recipe exactly (well almost, I did add a little lemon juice in the mix - I love lemon - if you do make sure you put greaseproof paper in your tin so there’s no leakage). I had a beautifully moist and flavourful lemon cake at the end that all my family and friends loved. I shall be keeping this recipe. Thank you.
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you liked it.
Were you using a spring from tin, in that case yes, a grease proof paper is a better idea. And generally yes, as it helps to lift the cake easily.
OH MY GOODNESS. I really had my doubts. Who knew this loaf could come out even lighter and fluffier than a recipe with leavening agents?! I am absolutely enamored with this lemon cake. I added zest from two lemons (instead of one) and added poppy seeds. Mmm mm mmm!
Thank you so much for your feedback. Yes, it turns out very soft and moist. Loved your addition of poppy seeds.
Its mouth watering. Superb mam without raising agent and maida. Healthy. Can u tell me the procedure to do this cake in pressure cooker. Is it good to substitute cane jaggery instead of sugar and if i take each 200gms(wheat cane jaggery butter)then how many eggs.........
Thank you for your feedback. Yes this can be made in a cooker. Follow the procedure mentioned in my recipe for Eggless Chocolate Cooker Cake. You would need to try this with cane jaggery, but powder it first as the mixture has to be smooth when beaten else it will not work. 200 grams of jaggery is just 25 grams less, you should be fine without changing the ratio of other ingredients.
Thank u so much for ur response. Have made long long search for no baking powder soda recipie. I love to bake it. Eagerly waiting to do. Sorry mam i meant each ingredient 200 gms which means 200gm of cane jaggery 200gm of wheat flour and 200gm of butter. For this ratio how many eggs. If possible tell me how many eggs to be used for each ingredients 250 gm each
You can use 1 less egg in that case.
Tried it today.. I was looking for a no baking powder recipe and thought it was not possible... Followed the procedure exactly and it came out real nice.. Am super surprised.. Thank you so much for sharing.
Glad you liked it. Thank You very much for sharing your feedback.
I know I'm not supposed to rate before I tasted it but it was a blast to make, so that's good enough for me. One thing though, 1.5 lemons juice sounds vague, would be better in (ml) measurement. I'm not sure if I have too much because the drizzle seems to overflow! :p Or maybe I just didn't poke enough holes? I made sure to poke a lot though...
HI
WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF EGG? CAN I USE YOGURT? OR ANY OTHER SUBSTITUTE?
Hi, Not in this recipe, unfortunately. if you want you can try this, Eggless Lemon Drizzle Cake
Can you do this egg method for pancakes as well?
I did not understand your question?
just what I was looking for, without bakg powder. thank u sounds lovely. I will try.
Hope you like it, Thank You
Just tried it and loved how it came out! Perfect combo of sweet and lemony. I served it with some raspberries and it was perfect
Thank you so much for your feedback. Glad it came out good for you and you liked it.
It was great! though I had to add about 1 1/2 cups of milk, it was good! Also, for the lemon drizzle, I would heat it on high till your pan is starting to fill up with bubbles, and then let it cool till your cake is ready. I also didn't add vanilla extract, and it still tastes and looks amazing!
1 1/2 cups milk, why? Was your batter thick? I have never added and did not feel the need too. Lemon drizzle we like it as is, but would try your method next time. Yeah we can skip the vanilla extract, but at times egg has a smell, so I do add it. Thank you for your feedback. Glad you liked it.
It was just perfect!
Thank you for your feedback. Glad you liked it.
My cake is in the over but looks very oily. Is this right?
I am not sure what you did, it should not be too oily. Unless you share the picture or quantity of ingredients used It is difficult to say.
Oh my that lemon cake looks so inviting. It definitely looks soft and super moist. Eggs tend to do that exactly. If given a choice between a lemon cake or a chocolate one, I always go for the lemon one. It is the Indian Lemons that make the cake sour. The big yellow ones add a kind of sweetish tang and are so aromatic.
Would I be able to swap the sugar for honey or maple syrup?
Sorry for the delay in reply. I do not think this recipe will work with honey or maple syrup. You can give it a try if you still want too.